The Riverside Branch of AAUW met on January 14, at 10:00 AM at Habitat for Humanity. President Elect, Ruthann Mlcoch, (in for absent President, Barb Ryon) welcomed and thanked all those present for attending. Publication Chair, Jo Turner, introduced our speaker, Dr. Paul Lyons from UCR     Medical School.          Dr. Lyons’ academic resume includes a BA in Philosophy from Oberlin College, an MD from Ohio State U, a Residency in Family Medicine at Minnesota U, and the Chair of Clinical Education and faculty advisor at Temple University School of Medicine. He has received three awards for excellence in teaching and is presently Dean of Education in charge of all curricular programs and faculty recruitment for UCR Medical School.

     Dr. Lyons began by thanking us for the opportunity to speak about the changes that are happening at UCR Medical School.   UCR is different from other Medical Schools because of its creative and   innovative curriculum. UCR believes that a prerequisite for medical school is knowledge and experience in literature and the arts. Evidence has shown that this makes doctors better listeners and  consequently, they can make better diagnoses. The patient seeking a doctor’s help, tells the doctor a “story,” — the doctor must then organize his/her story, the information, choose what is important and recognize the detail that doesn’t fit in. Knowing this, UCR has changed the medical school curriculum to include the Humanities. The Federal Government gave a grant of $100,000.00 for medical students to begin this new program.

     First, UCR Medical School has a writing professor teaching medical students to write for the first three years of medical school. The goal for the student is to gather information and turn it into a story–(creative writing). Second, medical students are asked to make use of “pretend patients” in order to practice skills of diagnosing and human interactions. Medical students create a ten page “dramatic   persona” that they use to become the simulated patients with other medical students. Third, medical students go out into the real world of practicing doctors’ offices and clinics when they are freshmen and work with patients — they continue at the same clinics for four years. Dr. Lyons calls this a Longitudinal Medical School – (we have heard this before from Chancellor Wilcox.) Thus, medical students learn to apply their skills interacting with patients from the beginning of their school career which makes for a very different medical student. Scientific competence without compassion is not the doctor you want. The feedback from doctors and staff has been positive.

     Dr. Lyons believes that the community of Riverside saved the UCR Medical School. Presently, UCR Medical School has one hundred students, but the future will bring growth — in numbers of     students and in the expansion by offering medical residency training at Riverside Community Hospital and other hospitals in the area.

        For students wishing to enter UCR Medical School, the classic criteria of “braininess” is not the only prerequisite. UCR wants people from this region who are committed to others. They have set up an interviewing process to assess the students’ ethics, professionalism and interest in service. This is their own unique system that elicits responses from the students that can be scored by the interviewing doctor and then compared and evaluated. Dr. Lyons seemed pleased with this kind of selection of   students and considers it different (better) than what other medical schools do.

Dr. Lyons is a very dynamic and engaging speaker and as a result had an avid group of listeners. Our Branch has an abiding interest in the UCR Medical School and Dr. Lyons added to our knowledge and our pride that such an institution is here. Dr. Lyons began his talk with a poem by William Carlos Williams, a verse by Dr. Seuss, and the story of Goldilocks — thus, as the saying goes, he had us from the start. (His reference to a low tech Tricoder approach to medical school, may have caused some to ponder!) Riverside and its environs are fortunate to have a person with the brains, talent and values of Dr. Lyons. What he does at UCR Medical School matters.

By  Taffy  Geith

Ruthann Mlcoch, Administrative Assistant, welcomed members and guests to the meeting of the Riverisde Branch of AAUW on April 17, at 10:00 AM at Habitat for Humanity, 2180 Iowa Ave.    Carlese Chandler, Membership Chair, thanked those members who had sent in their renewals, and reminded others that remittances are due.

     Jo Turner introduced Steve Lech, Park Planner at Riverside County Regional Park, and Waste Resources Manager also of Riverside County.  Steve loves history, and co-writes a history column for the Press Enterprise called “Back in the Day,” besides teaching and training docents for the Mission Inn.  He has been a collector of vintage postcards of Riverside for twenty years and is here to share their visual beauty along with their historical significance.

     In 1900 picture postcards were advertisements for towns trying to lure visitors and residents to California.  Riverside had lots of wealth connected to the orange industry, so  postcards showcased orange production as well as the vast acreages devoted to orange groves.  Steve showed several postcards depicting panoramas of Riverside from Mt. Rubidoux (1907), Main St. (1901), and  also one of the Raincross symbol (1908).  In 1912 Riverside had the highest per capita income of any city in the country.  This is evident in the architecture and elegant ambiance of certain structures: the interior and exterior of Rouse’s Department Store (1926); Andrew Carnegie Library (1902)  Mission Revival; The County Court House, (1902)  Beaux Arts Revival; The original Post Office (1912),  later the Police Station and now the Riverside Municipal Museum, Mission Classical; The Municipal Auditorium dedicated after WWI to the dead patriots –chosen instead of an equestrian statue, Mission Revival / Moorish.  All of these buildings bespeak the civic pride and care taken to have a city that reflects the industry, history, taste and wealth of its people.

      A postcard showing a carved granite statue of Juan de Anza standing in Newman Park on the corner of Market and 14^th St. may remind drivers that Juan de Anza came through Riverside in the 1770’s and camped along the Santa Ana on his way to Alta Ca.  The sculptor, Sherry Peticola, used a local resident, a descendant of de Anza’s brother, as a model.  The modern sculpture was dedicated in 1940.

     Steve had many postcards of schools that are no longer standing.  The original Grant School (1910)  had an imposing grandeur about it and had many stories.  It served students from K to eighth grade.  In 1904 the Salt Lake Train Depot was built, –it later became the Union Pacific and has been “repurposed” now for other businesses.  It has that downtown beauty and must have been a popular postcard.  In 1905 a postcard showing Magnolia Avenue was created as an advertisement.  A rail line runs through it and it soon became the main drag heading south.  Magnolia Avenue was a prototype for Victoria Avenue and other such shaded streets in Southern California.

     Magnolia Center came into being in 1925-28 – a cluster of shops that met the needs of the population that had moved south. In 1956-57 the Riverside Plaza opened and this was the beginning of the end for downtown.  The Plaza had a large parking area which was an added convenience for shoppers.  Sages at Market and Beatty (1951) was the first large supermarket to include dairy, bakery, garden and coffee shop in addition to the regular groceries and produce.  It closed in 1973.  Steve did not give a name to these architectural styles –50’s functionalism?

     Steve showed postcards of the original Riverside General Hospital, now replaced by the one in Moreno Valley.  He showed the early Fairmount Park, designed in 1911,  on land that was swampy and worthless.  This Park is still in use today.  The postcard of the UCR Library (1955) shows the original building –beautiful in its simplicity.  The last postcard shown was of two vintage cars going up the drive to Mt. Rubidoux (1908) for the Easter Service.  (Steve mentioned that this postcard may have been staged since it showed a woman driving.)  This was an appropriate final postcard since we are near Easter, but also it underscores the tremendous changes that Riverside has experienced since the early beginnings shown in the 1900 postcards used for advertisements.

     Viewing these vintage postcards and hearing Steve Lech’s historical facts was a pure joy for all who were present. (Space here is limited and not all the postcards shown were mentioned in this report.)  Riverside’s culture has been transformed, our population has not only increased but has moved south and east, and our industries have changed.  However, downtown is revitalizing itself, and the culture is  bringing new challenges. We have a new appreciation of the uniqueness that is Riverside — thanks to Steve.   We will be looking for his columns in the Press Enterprise.

By Lisa Newhall

See these pictures!  And 50 people attending! And six new members!  What a fabulous program we had for Tech Trek!  We had 5 of our 7 campers at the brunch who shared their exciting and touching stories about their time at UCSD.  Listening to our    girls always reassures me that we are making a difference in their lives by offering this particular opportunity.  And, we now will be sending girls from Moreno Valley Unified School district as well!  Dr. White, Superintendent, and Dr. Kedziora, Assistant Superintendent, were guests at our brunch.  Both expressed their excitement about having their  district participate in the program this coming year.  We also had Councilman Andy Melendrez as a guest.  He presented each of the girls with a beautiful certificate from the City of Riverside – signed by the mayor too!

I am pleased to announce that we raised a little over $1000 at the brunch, with some of the donations specifically targeted for our new Moreno Valley addition!  As always, if you know of an organization or business that might be willing to make a contribution, please let me know.  I am willing to bring girls and talk with anyone.

Thank you all for your support!  A special thanks to all of my committee members and my co-chair, Christine, for all of your efforts.  Our program has grown so much, that it takes a committee to make it all as successful as it is.